Save Each Other
by rachelcolleen1000
Summary: After Katniss Everdeen's father dies in a car accident and her mother has a breakdown, she's sent to Wildwood to live with her uncle, Haymitch. After a lifetime of homeschooling, she goes to high school for the first time and meets Peeta Mellark, the star football and basketball player. Katniss has never been able to get close to anyone, and Peeta always enjoys a challenge. AU/OOC
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my new story!**

**Please tell me how you like it!**

I stare out the window, tapping my fingers on my knees rhythmically. I just want to go home. I don't want to move in with Uncle Haymitch, I don't want to go to school.

I just want my normal life back.

I don't want to move to Wildwood, New Jersey, a beach town on the East Coast. I don't want to start school in the middle of the year, with a bunch of kids who have been going to school together for ten years already.

I just want to go home.

The car pulls up to my uncle's beach house. I pull my headphones out and shove them in my bag. I slide out of the car and my twelve year old sister, Prim, follows me. Uncle Haymitch sits on the front porch, a glass in hand. He's already drunk.

I don't even greet him, I just walk into his home. Prim gives him a hug. Haymitch grabs our suitcases that hold our meager belongings and he sets them down. "How's it going, sweetheart?" he asks me.

I roll my eyes. "Which one's my room?" I ask.

"End of that hallway," Haymitch says. He points down a hallway. There's a door on the left wall, a bathroom, and there's a door at the end of the hallway, my bedroom. "If you want, after you're settled in, we can go to the pier."

"Can you go to the pier drunk?" I snap venomously.

"That's where people go to get drunk, sweetheart," Haymitch says.

I roll my eyes again. "I think we should just rest tonight, Uncle Haymitch," Prim says. "Katniss is kind of cranky."

I scoff and grab my suitcase, going into my bedroom. It's tiny, with a desk, dresser, and a bed. There's a tiny TV on top of the dresser. I close the door and look out the window. My view is of the ocean and I can see the pier. Down on the ocean, there's a group of kids who look about my age. There's a large, blonde boy all over a tiny girl with brown hair. Another tall, brunette guy is kissing a girl with blonde hair. There's two boys sitting with them, one with dark skin and the other with light skin. The boy with light skin looks extremely attractive. In fact, I find myself craning my neck for a better view. The only thing I can see is his toned back and his shaggy blonde hair. He turns his head and I can see his blue eyes. And then, he's looking directly at me. His blue eyes into my gray ones. He smiles a little and nods at me. I snap back to reality and pull my curtain closed.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

The next morning, I wake up early to shower. I braid my hair and dress before going into the kitchen. There's a box of stale Cheerios and a carton of expired milk on the table. Haymitch is sitting in his bathrobe, mixing vodka into his coffee.

"Getting an early start?" I snap.

He looks up at me and rolls his eyes. "This whole fathering thing is going to get old fast."

I slam the Cheerios down on the table. "You're _not _my father."

Haymitch looks up at me for a long time. "I'm sorry about your dad, kid. He was a great guy. I would know. He was my brother."

That's when I remember. I didn't just lose a father. Haymitch lost a brother.

I nod. "I think I'll take Prim out for breakfast. I don't want any of this." Haymitch nods and goes into his wallet, handing me a twenty.

"Keep the change."

I nod and go get Prim. We stop at the McDonald's down the road and after, we head to the school. It's a K-12 school, so I drop her off in the elementary school section before heading to the high school section. I walk into the office. The woman behind the counter has fake blonde hair and bright pink lips.

"Excuse me," I say.

She looks up. "Oh, hello," she says. "How can I help you?"

"I'm new here, I'm looking for my schedule," I say.

"Are you Katniss Everdeen?" she asks.

I nod. "Well, welcome to Wildwood High School," she says. "I'm Miss Trinket. If you ever have any questions, come see me. Here's your schedule. Your first class is science. You have it with Mr. Waters – his classroom is down the stairs on the left."

I nod. "Thank you." I go down the stairs and Mr. Waters room is the first on the left. I walk inside and Mr. Waters introduced himself and gave me an empty seat. I sat down and students started filing in. And then I saw him.

The boy from the beach.

He looks at me for a long moment and I find myself staring back. Eventually, he takes the seat next to mine. "Hi," he says.

"Hi," I say.

"You're new here," he says.

"Thanks for the newsflash," I snap.

He smiles. "I'm Peeta."

"That's great."

He doesn't even falter. "Did I see you yesterday in the window? That means you moved in with Mr. Abernathy, right? Are you related to him, or something?"

"You ask a lot of questions," I say.

He grins. "I'm just curious. And you're new here. You need to make friends."

"I don't need friends," I say.

He shrugs. "Okay. But you want friends, don't you?"

"Doesn't make a difference to me," I say.

He looks at me, surprised. "I have _never _met anyone like you before," he says. "There is nobody around here like you."

I look at him pointedly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're independent," Peeta says. "Self-sufficient, it seems. We don't have anyone like that here." He pauses. "I like that."

I turn away from him. "I'm Katniss. And I am the girl you saw in the window."

He grins. "Well, Katniss. Do you want to be my lab partner?"

"Your what?"

"Lab partner," he says. "You know, we do labs together?"

"Labs?"

"Experiments," he laughs. "Have you never been to school?"

"I've always been homeschooled," I say.

"Wow, really?" Peeta says. "That's so cool! I always wanted to be homeschooled. Me and my brothers would've killed each other, though."

"I liked it," I say.

"Well, this just means you have to be my lab partner," Peeta says. "I need to fill you in on how school actually works."

I shrug. "Fine."

He smiles. "So, why are you suddenly starting school? If you've been homeschooled all your life."

"Me and my sister just moved in with our uncle," I say.

"Mr. Abernathy?" he asks.

"We normally just call him Uncle Haymitch," I say. Peeta laughs. He has a deep, hearty laugh.

I like it.

"So, why'd you move in with him?"

I turn away from him and don't respond. Luckily, Mr. Waters walks in and assigns what Peeta called a lab. He says that since the new quarter just started, we could pick new lab partners. Peeta turns to me and nods.

Peeta shows me the lab station. He pulls out all the supplies will need and starts setting it up. "So," he says, fiddling with a Bunsen burner, "I would assume that something happened to your parents. Since you're moving in with your uncle." I don't answer. "I'm sorry. About your parents. And for bringing it up. I mean, when my mom died, I didn't like it when people brought it up."

"Your mom died?" I ask.

He nods. "When I was twelve. Car accident."

"I'm sorry," I say.

He shrugs. "I have my brothers and my dad."

I nod. He finishes setting up whatever he's doing in silence. "My dad died," I say. "Car accident."

He looks up at me. His blue eyes are beautiful even through safety glasses. "Really?" he asks.

I nod. "It happened about a month ago."

"I'm so sorry," he says softly. "What about your mom?"

"You should call her mental rehabilitation center and find out," I say.

He nods. "I'm sorry. I really am. I know how it feels."

I nod. He begins mixing chemicals and doesn't ask for my help once. I just watch. Eventually, he stops and puts a mixture on the Bunsen burner. "This one will take a while to heat," Peeta says.

I nod. "You know what I said about not wanting friends?" I say.

He nods.

"Um, well, I mean, if you wanted to be my friend, I guess I wouldn't object," I say sheepishly. I don't know where it comes from, but I don't regret it.

Peeta grins. "I'd love to be your friend, Katniss."

I smile for the first time in our entire exchange. Maybe public school wouldn't be so bad.

**What do you think? Please tell me! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Please tell me what you think! :)**

"We have every class together," Peeta says. "Except math. You have Anderson, I have Mathis."

I nod. "What's next?"

"US History with Mrs. Jenkins," he says. "That's my favorite class. Other than study hall or gym."

I smile. "Anyway, in history, there's never really any group projects. But Mrs. Jenkins doesn't give a seating chart, so you can sit with me."

I nod. "Okay."

Our history class passes quickly and he shows me my math class. "I'll meet you after. We have study hall next."

After math, he meets me at my classroom door and shows me the study hall class. He sits in the back corner and I sit with him. "Want to do the science homework?"

I shrug. "Okay."

He pulls it out and we start the homework. "So, tell me about your sister," Peeta says. "How old is she?"

"Twelve," I say.

"Really?" he glances up from the worksheet. "How's she doing?"

"How's she doing?" I ask.

"I was twelve when my mom died," he says. "I know how it feels. If you ever want me to, like, talk to her or something, I'd be happy to."

"No, thanks," I snap.

He looks at me out of the corner of his eye. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

"I can talk to my sister if she needs someone to talk to," I say.

"I mean, I guess," Peeta shrugs.

"What do you mean, you guess?" I ask.

"My oldest brother Jake was sixteen when our mom died," he says. "I was always really jealous of him because he got four more years with our mother than I did. I never wanted to talk to him about it."

I turn away from him and stare at the chalkboard. "Really?"

He shrugs. "I mean, it seems silly to me now, but I still haven't talked about my mom with him to this day."

I nod. "Thanks for telling me that."

"No problem," he says, putting the worksheet away. "We have lunch next. You're welcome to sit with me and my friends."

"No, that's okay," I say.

"I insist," Peeta says. "My friends are cool, I promise."

"Are they the people I saw on the beach with you yesterday?" I ask.

He nods. "About that," he says. "Why'd you walk away after I nodded at you?"

I shrug. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not really a nice person."

He laughs. "That's not true."

"You don't know anything about me," I say.

"I'd like for that to change," he says. I look at him for a few seconds before turning away. "Look, Katniss. I feel like you've never had a best friend before. Everyone deserves a best friend. I'll be yours."

I laugh. "Don't you already have a best friend?"

He shrugs. "I have a group of friends. But Cato has Clove and Marvel has Glimmer and Thresh and his brother are super close. I mean, you can be my best friend."

"That's ridiculous, Peeta."

He shrugs. "I don't think so. I mean, I like you. You're my friend. I assume you like me. I'm your friend. I think."

I laugh. "You're my friend."

"Fine," he says. "It's Friday. Friends go and hang out at the pier on Friday."

"My uncle wanted to take us to the pier yesterday," I say.

"Come with me tonight," he says. "I'll show you around."

"Fine," I say.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"You're going _where _with _who_?" Haymitch asks that night when I walk into the kitchen.

"I'm going to the pier with my friend," I say.

"Who's your friend?" Haymitch asks.

"Peeta."

"Peeta who?"

"Peeta Mellark," I say.

"Mellark?" Haymitch asks incredulously. "As in, Peeta Mellark, the star quarterback and star forward of the Wildwood High's football and basketball teams?"

"What?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah," Haymitch says. "Peeta's one hell of an athlete."

"I didn't know that," I say.

Haymitch shrugs. "I know this is when I'm supposed to tell you to be home by a certain time, but I don't really care. You're almost seventeen, you're a good kid, Peeta's a good kid. Just don't wake me or your sister up when you come in, okay?"

I nod. I walk to Prim's bedroom to say goodbye. She's sitting on her bed reading a book. "Hey, Prim, I'm leaving."

She waves and doesn't even look up. I frown but I walk to the front door and meet Peeta at the gates to the pier, like we agreed. He's waiting for me, wearing khaki cargo shorts and wearing a Rutgers University shirt. He waves to me.

"Hey," he says.

"Hi," I reply.

"I bought tickets for the Mariner's pier," Peeta says. "That's where most of the shopping and restaurants are. I was going to get the adventure park and water park, but I don't think we have enough time to do everything."

"Was it expensive?" I ask. "I have money."

"Stop," Peeta says. "This is my 'welcome to Wildwood' present."

I laugh. "Okay."

We walk inside and he watches me as I look around. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah," I say. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"I've been coming here for as long as I can remember," Peeta says. "We have a membership to the parks and stuff. Speaking of the parks, we should go to them tomorrow."

"The parks?"

He nods. "They're so much fun. Want to?"

"Sure," I say.

He grins and points to a restaurant. "That's the best place on the pier. If you like burgers and fries."

"That's my favorite meal," I say.

"Mine too," he smiles. "Let's go."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"That dog stuffed animal is adorable," I say as we walk past a game after dinner. He paid for the meal.

"Yeah?" he says. He pulls out his wallet, pulls out a dollar, and sets it on the table in front of the game. He grabs the football and aims for the hole. It sails right through it, all three times.

"What prize do you want?" the worker asks.

"The dog," Peeta says. The worker gives him the stuffed animal and Peeta hands it to me. "Welcome to Wildwood."

I laugh. "That's the eighth Welcome to Wildwood present you've given me today."

"Well, you deserve a nice welcome," Peeta says. We hold eye contact for a few more seconds and then I turn away. "My curfew's midnight, so we should probably head out."

"Okay," I say.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow at, say, ten?" Peeta says. "We'll do the parks."

I nod. "Okay."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"The kid won you a stuffed animal?" Haymitch asks the next morning.

I shrug. "I said I thought it was cute."

"You don't see anything weird in that?" Haymitch asks. "Prim, help me out here."

"Boyfriend's win girlfriend's stuffed animals, Katniss," Prim says. "Is Peeta your boyfriend?"

"_What_?" I cry. "No!"

"Sounds like it to me," Prim says. Then I hear a knock on the door. I go open it and it's Peeta.

"Good morning," he says.

"Hey," I say. "Bye, guys!" Haymitch and Prim wave and I walk out the door.

Peeta and I walk down my drive and toward the beach. "How are you?"

"Fine," I say.

He turns to me. "What's wrong, Katniss?"

I stop walking. "Why'd you buy me a stuffed animal?"

He furrows his eyebrows. "You said you thought it was cute. It was a nice thing to do, I thought."

"Prim says that's what boyfriends and girlfriends do," I say. "We're not boyfriend and girlfriend. I barely know you."

Peeta sighs. "I know, Katniss."

"And I saw a hell of a lot of couples at the pier last night," I say. "Is that what boyfriends and girlfriends do, too? Do they go to the parks on Saturdays, too?"

"Katniss –"

"You don't know anything about me," I say. "Why are you so interested in me?"

Peeta puts his hands on the small of my back, pulls me against him, and plants his lips on mine.

And I kiss him back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Tell me what you think!**

He holds me tightly, prodding my mouth open slightly. I allow him to and bring my hands to his neck. He pulls me closer and moves one hand up my back and messes with my braid. It takes me longer than it should've to realize what I was doing. I bring my hands from his neck and push him back.

"Peeta!" I shout. I bring my hand up and smack him across the face.

He grabs his face and moves his jaw a couple times. "Katniss, I'm sorry," he says. "I just . . ."

"You what?" I snap. "Do you just kiss every girl you see?"

"No!" Peeta says. "God, Katniss, I just . . ."

"You just what?" I shout. "God! Speak!"

"I think you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen!" Peeta shouts. "God! Are you happy now?"

"You think . . . what?" I ask.

"I think you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen," he repeats, quieter this time. "When I saw you in the window of Mr. Abernathy's house, I felt . . . drawn to you. I had to get close to you and I've been wanting to kiss you since I saw you in science and . . . well, say something."

I pause. "I . . . I didn't come here for some romance, Peeta. I came here because I had too."

He comes closer to me and grabs my hands. "Tell me you didn't feel something during that kiss," Peeta says. "Tell me you didn't like it."

I look down. "I . . . can't tell you that."

Peeta grins and tries to kiss me again, but I back away.

"I can't be with you," I say.

"Why?" Peeta says. "Give me one good reason why."

I pull my hands away. "I'm sorry." I run back up to Haymitch's house and open the door. Prim and Haymitch haven't even finished breakfast.

"So, what was that about not being boyfriend and girlfriend?" Prim says. I narrow my eyes at her and go to my room. I sit down on my bed and put my head in my hands. I try to put together a coherent thought, but the only thing that comes to mind is Peeta's lips on mine. Peeta's hands on my back, holding me close to him. Peeta's hair between my fingers . . . I force myself to stop. I shake my head and try to think of something different. I walk to my window and I see Peeta sitting by himself on the beach, staring at the ocean.

I sit in my room alone for the next few hours and Peeta sits out on the deserted beach. Haymitch knocks on my door and sticks his head into the room. "You should probably tell that kid to go home," Haymitch says. "He's freaking Prim out."

"You tell him," I say.

"He's not my responsibility," Haymitch says.

"He's not mine, either," I say.

"I didn't kiss him," Haymitch says.

"You suck, Haymitch," I say, getting up and walking to the back door. I walk down to the beach.

"Peeta? You should go," I say.

He turns around and stands up quickly. "Katniss," he says.

"You should go," I repeat.

"I'm not leaving here until you give me a reason," he says.

I pause. "My father just died," I say. "My mother's in the looney bin. I'm broken, Peeta! You don't want a broken girl."

"You're not broken," he says. "That wasn't a reason. Give me another one."

"I'm not very nice, Peeta," I say softly.

He laughs. "That hasn't scared me away yet."

"Peeta," I say.

"Tell me you don't like me," Peeta says. "Tell me you're not attracted to me. Tell me you don't want this too."

I look down at the sand.

I can't lie to him.

"That's what I thought," Peeta says. He grabs my waist and pulls me to him, planting his lips on mine again. I bring my hands to his hair and he pulls me closer. When he pulls away, he grins widely. "You're very good at that."

I smile. "Peeta, I don't know anything about you."

"What do you want to know?" he says.

"Why didn't you tell me you were such a good athlete?" I ask.

He laughs. "I started right after my mom died. It was a good way to release aggression. Now, if I quit, everyone will kill me."

"So you don't like it?" I ask.

He shrugs. "It's nothing I'm going to pursue when I get older."

I nod. "Aren't people supposed to get to know each other before they . . . kiss?"

He laughs. "I don't normally do things in order. And now that I've started kissing you, I won't be able to stop."

I smile. "It's too late in the day to be able to do the parks," Peeta says. "We can do them tomorrow. Can I take you to dinner?"

I nod.

He grabs my hand and we walk towards the pier.

_**June 2013**_

"Peeta's here, Katniss," Prim calls from the living room. I run from my room, wave goodbye, and walk to the driveway to Peeta's car. I get in the passenger's side and his lips are on mine immediately. I kiss him back.

"Hello," he says, grinning.

"Hi," I say.

He kisses me again before putting the car in reverse and driving off. "How was the first day of summer?" he asks.

"I don't like that you have football conditioning," I say.

"Did you miss me?" he teases.

"I'm used to spending eight hours a day with you," I say.

"It's only this week," Peeta promises. "And then I'm yours every day except Wednesdays. I work on Wednesdays."

"I know," I say. "Haymitch is going back to work. Nine to five, five days a week."

"Really?" Peeta says. "Wow."

"Yeah," I nod. "So we'll probably spend a lot of time hanging around my house. We can't leave Prim alone."

Peeta nods. "I like Prim. And we can take her places, too."

"She'd like that," I say. "Where are we going?"

He grins. "My house."

I turn to look at him. "Your house?"

He nods. "If that's okay. My brothers and my dad are out. You can see the bakery and my room."

"You know, I'm going to have to meet your family eventually," I say. "You've had dinner with mine more times than I can count."

He shrugs. "My family's nothing like yours."

I know there's more but I let it drop. "I'd like to see your house," I say.

He grins and drives the car behind the bakery. "We live above the bakery," he says. He guides me inside and shows me the bakery. "This is where I work," he says simply.

"Are there any cookies here?" I ask.

He laughs. "There are tons of cookies here."

He takes me up the stairs and guides me to the room at the end of the hallway. "This is my room," he says. He opens the door. There's a queen bed in the corner by the window. There's a TV on the dresser and books and worksheets strewn over his desk. The floor is mainly clean with a few t-shirts and shorts on it.

"It's little," I say.

Peeta laughs. "So is yours."

"But you're way bigger than me," I say.

"Is that a fat joke?" he teases.

"Definitely," I say.

He grins and wraps his arms around my waist. He kisses me gently at first, but I prod his mouth open and intensify it. He backs me onto the bed and climbs on top of me. I pull him down on the bed and roll on top of him. He puts his hands in the back pocket of my jeans and we lay like this for a long time.

When I pull away, he grins. "This is going to be a great summer," he says.


End file.
